Architecture

Understanding DC/OS architecture

DC/OS is a platform for running distributed containerized software, like apps, jobs, and services. As a platform, DC/OS is distinct from and agnostic with respect to the infrastructure layer. This means that the infrastructure may consist of virtual or physical hardware, as long as it provides computing resources, storage, and networking.

Figure 1 - DC/OS architecture layers

Software layer

At the software layer, DC/OS provides package management and a package repository to install and manage several types of services: databases, message queues, stream processors, artifact repositories, monitoring solutions, continuous integration tools, source control management, log aggregators, and so forth. In addition to these packaged apps and services, you may install your own custom apps, services, and scheduled jobs.

Infrastructure layer

At the infrastructure layer, you can install DC/OS on public clouds, private clouds, or on-premises hardware. Some of these install targets have automated provisioning tools, but almost any infrastructure can be used, as long as it includes multiple x86 machines on a shared IPv4 network.